Census Chief Says Political, Economic Clout Of Aged To Grow

April 5, 1985|By Matt Scallan, Staff Writer

BOCA RATON — America`s senior citizens ``are getting their way like they`ve never had before`` and their political and economic clout will continue to grow as a larger percentage of the country`s population becomes age 65 or older, the director of the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday.

John G. Keane told marketing students at Florida Atlantic University that the concerns of senior citizens will change perceptions about them as their numbers grow.

Seniors are the fastest-growing segment of this country`s population, Keane said. One in five Americans will be age 65 or older by l990, and one in three will be in that category early in the 21st century, he said.

Keane, a former president of the American Marketing Association, predicted a boom in shop-at-home and bank-at-home computer services to serve the needs of seniors unable or unwilling to leave their homes.

He also predicted that many seniors will choose not to live in retirement communities and instead live in those catering to all ages.

``Too many of these developments say only graybeards need apply here. No children, no dogs. God forbid, they might bark where the loudest acceptable sound is, `Bingo,` `` Keane said.

Business will also have to adjust to the growing senior population by hiring them as consultants for advertising and other matters. Keane said he expects many mandatory retirement laws to be repealed in years to come.

To do that, many companies will begin to hire seniors as ``aging experts`` as they hired safety and minority experts in the `60s and `70s, he said.

The number of senior women living alone in the United States has doubled to l6 million in the last l5 years, while the number of single men over 65 living alone has reached ll million, he said.